It’s not likely anyone would want to run Ubuntu on Glass as a full-time deal, but seeing it done and knowing it is possible is certainly intriguing. The process involves using Launcher, Notepad, and Settings via adb, along with some apps like Complete Linux Installer and Android Terminal Emulator. Likewise, a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad will need to be paired to the device. Taking it a step further, the bootloader can be unlocked after this and the device flashed with a different image, providing root access.

If such a prospect is making you excited and you’re not a current Explorer edition owner, don’t get your hopes too high. The folks over at Geek report that, during the session, employees suggested the version set to hit shelves in the coming months won’t make the process this easy, and that the ease with which current owners can achieve such things is to foster as much development progress as possible.

Other Glass information that has surfaced at the event includes word from Sergey Brin that Glass will receive a software update in the future that brings stabilization to the wearable’s camera, helping combat the shakiness/unsteadiness issue that results from a head-mounted camera. No details about how that will be accomplished were provided, but we’re guessing it’ll involve the device’s various sensors and gyroscopes to offer digital stabilization.

Earlier today it was announced that Glass will be getting more apps, including ones for Facebook, Twitter, and Evernote. The design aspects of the device were also covered today via a talk by Glass’s lead industrial designer Isabelle Olsson, who showed off one of the original prototypes in all its bulky, heavy strangeness.

SOURCE: Engadget

Ubuntu is being pushed with this machine as an ideal environment for gamers of all kinds, specifically because of its low-weight abilities. You’ve got an extremely clean build with this operating system right out of the box, with only the basics loaded immediately – you choose what you want when you want it – you also get Ubuntu-specific interfaces through Ubuntu’s Software Center, with “thousands of free applications” at your fingertips.

Several builds are ready for gaming action with the Alienware X51 this week, the least expensive of these starting at a cool $599 USD. You’ll be able to ramp up to $1,049 with the largest of the collection – it’s still tiny, it’s just got a 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge Intel Core i7 processor under the hood instead of the smallest model’s Core i3. These systems also come with NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics processing architecture for top-notch graphics delivery.

Alienware X51
Front-Height: 13.504″ (343mm)
Rear-Height: 12.54″ (318.5mm)
Depth: 12.52″ (318mm)
Width: 3.74″ (95mm)

Have a peek at the Alienware X51 right this minute and consider Ubuntu for your next-generation gaming beast. Let us know if you’re planning on buying one of these builds now, and be sure to note if you’ll be jumping in with Ubuntu Linux or if you’ll stick with Windows for the foreseeable future.

Another term for what Windows 7 has become, as ZD-Net notes, is Long-Term Support, with Windows XP losing that role at the precise moment Windows 7 took the throne. Now it’ll be several years before Windows 8 takes over 7. With Windows 8 out now and, according to NetMarketShare, appearing to grow in popularity at roughly the same rate Windows 7 did back in 2009, we’ll likely see a business must-use marker in about 3 years.

NetMarketShare currently places each of the top operating systems used at the following market shares – note how Microsoft still essentially dominates the market.

• Windows 7 – 44.73 percent share
• Windows XP – 38.73 percent share
• OS X – 6.9 percent share
• Windows Vista – 4.99 percent share
• Windows 8 – 3.31 percent share
• Linux – 1.2 percent share

Have a peek at other NetMarketShare reports from the past few months and years to see how they’ve tracked not only desktop operating systems, but mobile devices as well. Right this minute, Microsoft is rolling with 91.8 percent of the desktop OS market. It’ll be interesting to see where they are in a few years time – at this rate, they’ll be basically in the same place as they are here – no worries!

The feature that blocks such operating systems is Microsoft’s UEFI Secure Boot, which is there for security purposes on Windows 8 machines during bootup. However, the open source group, known as Hispalinux (get it?), says that the feature makes “Microsoft’s Windows platform less neutral than ever,” and that users have to obtain special license keys from Microsoft in order to install non-Windows operating systems.

Microsoft was fined earlier this month for failing to comply with an antitrust agreement that required the company to allow Windows users the opportunity to use any web browser. They were eventually fined a whopping $731 million for the violation, which is pretty stiff fine no matter how you look at it.

There’s no say if the EU will fine Microsoft again for this latest complaint, but we’re sure that the organization will investigate the situation to see what’s up. Hispalinux says that the UEFI Secure Boot feature “is absolutely anti-competitive,” and that “it’s really bad for the user and for the European software industry.”

[via Reuters]

The Windows and Linux versions of Chrome are receiving mere security updates and bug fixes — nothing that you’ll probably get overly excited about. However, the Android version has optimized scrolling with an updated Javascript engine — perfect for smaller screens, according to Google, which mostly applies to older devices.

As for iOS, there are a couple of nifty new features that users will get a kick out of. Holding down on the back button will bring up the history tab, and will allow you to quickly access any page that’s stored in your history. Furthermore, you can also quickly share web pages through Messages on iOS.

Sadly, the iOS update of Chrome resulted in the app crashing every time I would start it up, so if you’re still on iOS 5.1.1, let this be a word of warning if you’re thinking about upgrading. Hopefully Google will soon release a smaller, incremental update to fix the bugs present in this big update, but for now I’m stuck with an unusable Chrome app.

We knew a Ubuntu tablet version would be coming, but it’s nice to finally see it in its official form, ready to be consumed by various tablets. In fact, the new OS will be available in a developer preview form for the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 this Thursday. This is the same day that Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 users will be able to grab the smartphone preview as well.

Just like the smartphone version, Ubuntu for tablets is optimized completely for touch, and it relies on screen-edge gestures for navigation rather than physical buttons. For the most part, everything looks to be the same, except for the obvious change in screen size when using the tablet version — the interface itself is pretty similar to the phone version.

Canonical moving towards smartphones and tablets is a big and bold move for the company, but it’s nothing too surprising, and frankly it was expected at some point, with more and more users switching over to tablets and smartphones for computing needs. While Ubuntu for mobile devices may not gain a ton of market share, we sure that open-source enthusiasts and computer geeks of all kinds will take advantage of the new OS on their smartphones and tablets soon.

The sale is actually pretty decent, with a number of popular titles getting huge discounts. The games are mostly indie titles, but there’s a number of games that are well worth the cost. For instance, Counter-Strike: Source is only $5, while Trine 2 is only $3.74. You can also get World of Goo for $2.49, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent (a fantastic horror game) for only $5.

The best part is, while all these game are for Linux, they’re also compatible for Windows and Mac, so if you don’t use Linux, you can still take advantage of the sale. Half-Life is $5, and a couple of Penumbra games are only a couple of bucks each. There’s 50 games in total, all of which are at least compatible with Windows, with just a few missing Mac support.

Valve first discussed Steam for Linux last year in April, and opened up the beta to the public back in December. The client supports Valve’s new Big Picture mode, where you can play games and navigate through the client on your big-screen living room television. Plus, Steam supports cross-platform play, so you can start a game on one OS, and finish it later on another.

The move to the mobile platform by Canonical was long expected, although they’re certainly arriving late to a market, which is already dominated by the iPhone and Android-based devices. Essentially, though, Ubuntu for mobile isn’t a whole new operating system per se, but rather a “smartphone interface” for Ubuntu.

Ubuntu for Android, which was announced in February last year, will be the first step to getting the new Ubuntu mobile platform out on devices, which Canonical chief Mark Shuttleworth says will arrive at some point this year. While no carrier or manufacturer support has been announced yet, the first Ubuntu for Android handset should be provided by a “high-end” Android device manufacturer.

Proper Ubuntu phones, however, are promised to be out in early 2014, but the company already has a number of Galaxy Nexus devices that are running the new platform (as seen in the image above). The Galaxy Nexus is the only officially-supported device at the moment, and Canonical expects developers to work with the device in the meantime while the company continues to flesh out the OS.

A touch-based OS of Ubuntu shouldn’t be a huge surprise at this point, since Canonical has recently hinted that they’re moving towards touch-based interfaces. In a Slashdot Q&A last month, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth made it clear that a cross-device OS was in the cards, with full mobile and tablet support set for Ubuntu 14.04 sometime in 2014.

Essentially, it’s the same approach Microsoft took with Windows in Windows 8 and Windows RT, and the challenges that faced Microsoft will also face Canonical — the company must find a way to unify the OS without alienating a subset of users. While we thought that Microsoft did a decent job with Windows 8, a lot of users feel that Microsoft screwed the pooch.

Either way, we have less than a day to go before Ubuntu’s mystery is revealed, and while we obviously know what it will be, we’re interested in finding out how the company will execute the software and what the interface will look like. If you’re at all interested in a touch-based Ubuntu OS, be sure to stick around tomorrow for the official announcement.

[via Engadget]

To get all of that loot, however, you’ll need to pay more than the average. Since the average currently sits at $6.45, we imagine that won’t be too difficult for most gamers. That’s especially true when you see the games that were just added to the bundle: The Basement Collection by Binding of Isaac developer Edmund McMillen, Offspring Fling, and Cave Story+. Cave Story+ has been featured in Humble Indie Bundles of the past, so veterans should be quite familiar with this game by now.

The Basement Collection is actually a bundle itself, bringing together a number of indie games made by Edmund McMillen. When you remember that Dungeon Defenders and Legend of Grimrock are both also beat-the-average bonuses, then you have every reason to shell out a little more cash. How can you possibly resist when so much great indie gaming is unlocked when you pay more than average?

Unlike the last Humble Bundle we saw, all of the games in this bundle are compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. With six days left to go, the amount the Humble Indie Bundle 7 has raised is closing in on $2 million, so it’s possible it could break $4 million by the time everything is said and done. Regardless of what happens in these remaining six days, we doubt it’ll manage to top the Humble THQ Bundle, which pulled in more than $5 million by the end of its run.

The beta was launched with Team Fortress 2 included, in addition to access to 26 others games, most of which are indie titles. Games include Amnesia: The Dark Descent and World of Goo. Earlier today, Valve announced the release of Humble Indie Bundle 7, adding 5 more games to the catalog. In addition to opening the beta up, Valve has made some changes and implemented some bug fixes, as well as a new way to track bugs using GitHub rather than the forums.

The problem with the processor being used up by Steam when gamers played Team Fortress 2 has been corrected, as well as the overlay crash that happened with Cubemen. The user interface has been improved for better back navigation from the closed beta client, and the store has been updated as well, gaining discount timers. New bug fixes will be rolled out over time, with current issues presented in the forum being worked on.

Steam for Linux beta require Ubuntu 12.04 or higher. Over time, the client will be available for other Linux distros as well, but has been made available only for Ubuntu for now because that is the most used distro by Linux Steam users. Current users need to update their application, while new users can nab the download from the Steam for Linux website.

[via Steam Community]

There’s just one problem: it was a Windows-only bundle, whereas Humble Bundles of the past had always supported Windows, Mac, and Linux. This unsurprisingly upset a number of the Humble Bundle faithful, but there is some good news to come of this, as THQ president Jason Rubin has revealed that the company is now weighing the benefits of developing games for Linux. He said as much to one fan over Twitter, an idea he expanded on in an interview with Polygon.

“The message I took away from a large number of tweets and comments around the THQ Humble Bundle sale is that there are vibrant communities of gamers using other operating systems besides the dominant ones, and a company like THQ should not overlook them,” Rubin said, continuing by pointing out that the company has received a lot of different suggestions from the gaming community. One of these suggestions involves letting fans take over some of the porting duties to keep costs manageable. Would the publisher ever actually do that? “THQ is committed to look at anything that makes sense,” Rubin said.

Rubin finished by saying that he’s sure something will be announced shortly, so get excited Linux users. This likely means good things for the Mac crowd as well, a platform THQ has dabbled in a couple times in the past. THQ, as many of you know, is currently struggling financially, so porting games to Linux may take up resources the company doesn’t have, but at least Rubin is considering it. That’s not something we can say about game publishers all that often, so we’ll take what we can get in this case.

A total of three devices are available for pre-order: the PengPod 700 (7-inch tablet), PengPod 1000 (10-inch tablet), and PengStick (mini PC). All three devices run Linux - or Android 4.0, depending on buyer preference – and run Allwinner system-on-a-chip A10s. Also available are a few accessories, including 8GB/16GB/32GB microSD cards with a bootable Linux image, a keyboard/case combo, and a “Linux on flash upgrade” for $5 if you don’t want Android.

The 7-inch PengPod 700 tablet has an 800 x 480 resolution and an HDMI video-out port. There’s a 1.3-megapixel front camera, speakers, and wifi connectivity. It has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage space. You can pre-order one for $110. The PengPod 1000, meanwhile, has a resolution of 1024 x 600, as well as an HDMI port. The front camera is listed as only 0.3-megapixel versus the 700′s 1.3-megapixel. Likewise, it offers 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage space. You can grab it for $175.

The PengStick is a mini PC that measures in at less than 3.5-inches in length, allowing you to slip it into your pocket or bag and easily transport it with you. Video connection works via a mini HDMI-to-HDMI, and the device features a single USB port and 1 USB OTG adapter, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage space. You can pre-order it for $75. All three devices can be dual-booted with an SD card. The devices are “expected to start shipping in January.”

[via PC World]

It’s not that we don’t think Nokia would ever make an attempt and creating an Android phone, it’s just that one single job posting does not a Nexus make. Back in May of 2011 there was a single prediction from super stealth inside Eldar Murtazin which said that if Microsoft didn’t outright purchase Nokia inside 2012, they’d toss out ex-Microsoft executive Stephen Elop from the CEO spot and place former Nokia smartphone chief Anssi Vanjoki back on top.

The prediction also supported ideas like a Nokia tablet and a collection of MeeGo devices throughout the months of 2012 as well, so it’s not as if this pack of information fell entirely correctly. Meanwhile the job listing appearing this week seeks an employee wanting to work in a “start-up environment” with “exciting new products” and future mobile phone technology. That could mean absolutely anything from an Android application to a new implementation of an upcoming technology standard on Lumia smartphones – maybe even more NFC action for apps.

Have a peek down our Linux tag portal to see what you can see – you’ll find that outside of Android, there’s not a whole lot that makes sense here for Nokia to want to hire a Linux expert unless they simply want to keep up-to-date on the most widely-used mobile operating system on the planet. Is that such a strange possibility?

[via Mark Wilcox]

The XPS 13 features a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 1366 x 768. Inside you’ll find an Intel Core i7-3517U 3GHz processor and 8GB of RAM. There’s Intel HD 4000 graphics, and a 256GB SSD. The operating system is the latest and greatest Ubuntu version 12.04. It weighs in at a svelte 2.99lbs. Included with the purchase is one year of ProSupport.

ProSupport can be bumped up to 2-year and 3-year service plans for an extra $215 and $330. The machine itself is made from carbon fiber and aluminum, and offers Gorilla Glass for durability. The battery is a 6-cell unit, while the audio is Waves Maxx Audio 4.0. The laptop measures in at just 6mm on its thinnest edge, and 18mm at its thickest point, which is still less than 3/4 of an inch.

Dell offered this statement: “We’re super excited about the XPS 13 Laptop, Developer Edition, and want to thank all the developers who have been actively participating in helping us create a laptop designed specifically for them. Basically, we loaded a super sleek Dell machine with Ubuntu to give developers the essentials they want while staying true to our core values of openness and affordability. But the power of the community input really helped make this a big success.”

[via Dell]

According to System76′s CEO Carl Richell, the new Bonobo Extreme is the fastest Ubuntu laptop available. The base model runs an Intel i7 quad-core 2.6GHz processor. If that’s not powerful enough, users can spend approximately another $500 to get an i7-3940XM Extreme 3GHz CPU. This is accompanied by 8GB of DDR3 RAM.

As far as graphics go, the Bonobo Extreme boasts an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX with 3GB of RAM and 960 CUDA cores. As with the processor, you can shell out $134 more for an upgrade, bumping the system to a GeForce GTX 680M with 4GB of RAM and 1344 CUDA cores. Other hardware includes a DVD drive, a 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive, and an 8-cell battery.

The display measures in at 17.3-inches with a full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. Ports include HDMI, Display Port, Ethernet, a media card reader, and 5 USB ports. There’s a Kensington lock for security, and the entire system weighs in at a hefty 8.6lbs. You can pick one up now for $1,499, saving you $100 via a Christmas discount.

[via OMG Ubuntu]

The process isn’t as simple as downloading a couple items and opening your browser. Users will have to use a custom version of WINE that makes it possible to use patches necessary for the entire method to work. So far, this works well with 32-bit varieties of the Ubuntu distro, having been tested on 12.20. If you’re using the 64-bit version of Ubuntu, you’re advised to wait for the PPA release, which is “coming soon.”

Although you have to do quite a bit of compiling, the process is fairly simple and straight forward. If you can’t handle waiting for the PPA to be released, you can do it all manually in the terminal. The process starts by downloading the WINE source (backup your WINE data first), then applying the various patches, of which there are five parts.

At this point, it’s all just a matter of compiling, which, as iHeart Ubuntu reports, can take a long time. During the compiling process, you’ll end up downloading “libfreetype6-dev,” followed next by the man of the hour, Microsoft Silverlight. As of right now, Silverlight 5 does not work, forcing users to use Silverlight 4 instead. Once Firefox and Silverlight are installed, running Netflix is as simple as opening your web browser.

[via iHeart Ubuntu]

There are five games included in the Humble Indie Bundle for Android 4: Splice, Eufloria, Waking Mars, Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP, and Crayon Physics Deluxe. If you beat the average purchase price – which at the time of this writing sits at $5.62 (it’s rising quickly too) – you’ll get Machinarium added in as a bonus. All of these games are compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, with most of these games making their Android debut. You also get soundtracks for each game, so there are plenty of bonus goodies to take advantage of in the Humble Bundle for Android 4.

As with all other Humble Bundles, the games offered in this one come DRM-free, so you’re free to install them on as many machines (or phones) as you want. A customizable portion of your purchase price will be going to help charity, namely Child’s Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. This particular Humble Bundle seems to be pretty popular, as it’s already managed to pull in over $55,000.

Of course, if Humble Bundles of the past are any indication, this is just the start. In about a week, more games will be added to the Humble Bundle for Android 4, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for those. The Humble Bundle for Android 4 has two weeks to go before it’s gone forever, so if you’re thinking you might like to pick it up, don’t wait too long.

Valve has been working on this beta for quite some time, testing it internally over and over again before finally letting some of its users in on the action. Team Fortress 2 comes included with the client download (it is free-to-play after all), but if you want to play some other games, you’ll be pleased to know that there are a total of 26 Linux games now available on Steam. Most of these titles are indie games, but there is one full-fledged retail game – Serious Sam 3: BFE – that sticks out from the bunch.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the indie games that are available for Linux on Steam have been featured in the Humble Indie Bundle before – one of the big draws of the Humble Indie Bundle is that it supports Windows, Mac, and Linux. You’ve got titles like World of Goo, Space Pirates and Zombies, Dungeons of Dredmor, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent to pick from, so it sounds like it’s time to get to playing.

At the moment, the Steam for Linux beta is only compatible with Ubuntu 12.04 and above. Steam for Linux team member Frank Crockett says that Valve will eventually release Steam for more Linux distros, but since an “overwhelming majority” of applicants said they’re running Ubuntu, that’s the distro that got it first. The Steam for Linux beta also includes big picture mode, and Valve assures that at some point in the future, the beta will be open for all Steam members to try. Stay tuned.

[via Valve]

The folks at HP have entered into Linux Foundation Platinum for $500,000 USD. Apple has announced that they’ve sold 3 million new iPads in their first weekend on the market – but they’re not saying which units sold how much. Steve Ballmer is insisting that Windows 8 will ramp quite quickly.

Check out the column called Why I’m OK with the Death of Consoles as written by Don Reisinger. Be sure to peek at our massive Nokia Lumia 920 review in all it’s glory.

The Wii U will be out in kiosks starting today – but wont be up for sale for a while yet (November 18th.) Sony has released their Sony Reader app for iOS – on the app store now! Alien life has been decidedly knocked down in all likelihood, so say scientists studying asteroids.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera has been priced and dated for the UK. The UK also has Skype pre-paid cards starting today. The dominance of the iPad has been tipped to slide as Samsung and Amazon ramp up. The PlayStation 3 is headed to China – maybe! The iPad mini has been torn down once again to show a price of $188 USD.

That input is described as being “directly involved in advancing Linux-based initiatives, workgroups, Labs, events, and more that support its business goals” by The Linux Foundation, though specifics of what HP hopes to achieve are conspicuous by their absence. The company itself name-checks Linux as “a strategic asset” but gives little more in the way of insight into exactly what strategy that might be.

Nonetheless, Linux has a place across HP’s range, with servers, printers, networking kit, and other hardware all using the open-source platform. Open webOS, meanwhile – the open-source version of webOS - is also based on the Linux kernel, though as yet has been little used in any consumer-facing way.

Still, it’s a sign that HP is hedging its bets on positioning moving forward, something CEO Meg Whitman has warned is still a work-in-progress. The company has seen sales of desktops, accessories, and other hardware dip in recent quarters.

Platinum membership in The Linux Foundation is priced at $500,000 each year, five-times more than what gold members pay.

When we say “small” we mean it too. Valve will only be inviting 1,000 people to take part in this private beta, explaining in a Valve Linux blog post that the beta will involve Steam, one Steam game, and support for Ubuntu 12.04 and later. It appears that Steam for Linux is still in the early stages of development, at least relatively, as Valve says that the beta won’t feature Big Picture Mode or any additional Steam games.

Valve didn’t say what that one Steam game featured in this incoming external beta is, but we have a feeling it’s Left 4 Dead 2. Valve has been using that game to test out Steam for Linux internally, so it makes sense that the studio would want to use it in the beta. Valve says that a beta sign up form will be coming soon, but didn’t give an specific date for its release.

Valve also recommends that those who are new to Linux sit this beta out and instead sign up for a future beta. If you’re an existing Linux users, however, Valve wants you, saying that this beta will be a good opportunity to see how far the studio has come in porting Steam to Linux. We’ll have more details about this upcoming Steam for Linux private beta soon, so keep it here to SlashGear.

The total size of your GeeXboX 3.0 download comes in at 140MB. You have the addition of new firmware and driver support to thank for that bump up in size. Of course, those additional firmware and drivers improve hardware support, so we’re thinking it will be quite easy to live with the increase in download size. The development team still wants GeeXboX to be available on “as many PCs and devices as possible” though, which suggests that future releases of GeeXboX won’t be quite as big.

Still, 140MB definitely isn’t bad for what you’re getting. Have a look at the full list of release notes below, straight from the GeeXboX website:

New features

• XBMC Media Center 11 “Eden” frontend.
• PVR support for DVB Digital TV, to watch and record live TV
• Improved remote control support
• Support for Full HD videos on PandaBoard
• Support for Full HD videos on Cubox
• Improved HDD installation
• Installation support for (U)EFI systems
• Installation support for SSD’s

Supported Architectures

• x86 32 and 64 bits PCs
• ARM TI OMAP4 Pandaboard
• ARM nVidia Tegra2 Harmony
• ARM Cubox (armada5xx)
• ARM Snowball ux500

System

• Linux Kernel v3.4.4.
• Systemd v188.
• BusyBox v1.21
• Connman Network Manager v1.6.
• Xorg Server v1.11.4.
• Mesa v8.0.3
• OPKG Package Manager v0.18
• USB persistent user data storage.

Audio Drivers

• ALSA v1.0.24.1.
• Support for Analog, SPDIF and HDMI output devices.

Video Drivers

• Support for Intel, nVidia, ATI, Matrox and VIA GPUs.
• Support for CRT, LCD and HDMI output devices.
• OpenGL and OpenGL|ES hardware assisted graphics acceleration.
• VDPAU, VA-API and Crystal HD hardware assisted video decoding for nVidia, Intel and Broadcom GPUs.

Input

• Mouse and Synaptics touch pads.
• HID Keyboards.
• Remote Controls.
• PluseEight CEC devices.

Networking Features

• NFS shares.
• Samba auto-discovery.
• UPnP / DLNA media discovery.
• ZeroConf services announcements.
• HTTP server.
• FTP server
• SSH server

MediaCenter

• XBMC Media Center 11 “Eden” frontend.
• Movies and TV Shows, with subtitles support.
• Music Collection
• Pictures and Slideshows
• CDDA, DVD and (non encrypted) Bluray support.
• Media Database Support.
• Internet MovieDB / TVDB metadata and covers grabbers.
• Skins
• Vu+ addon
• Xvdr addon
• Vdr server
• Tvheadend server

That’s quite a long list, so GeeXboX enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to with this latest release. A download of the ISO is available right now from the GeeXboX site, and in order to begin using it, all you need to do is download it, stick it on a USB drive, and reboot your computer. After that, you’re free to enjoy, and be sure to check out our interview with the folks behind GeeXbox while you’re waiting for your download to finish!

They’re paired with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage, while a MMC card slot can be used to add more. There’s also a SATA port, two USB Host ports, 10/100 ethernet, and an HDMI output capable of 1080p Full HD video for hooking up your display. Finally IR – handy for home entertainment center integration – and a full 96 extender pins are on offer.

That’s an impressive array of kit for $49, and there’s a range of OS support too: Android and Ubuntu get namechecked, but it shouldn’t be too tricky to get your own preferred flavor of Linux up and running. You can even overclock the processor to up to 1.5GHz.

According to the Cubieboard team, the first 100 boards were available at the start of this month, though supplies are still constrained. No word on when that might change.

[via Engadget]

This code is bringing (in beta) a set of 54 components making 450,000 lines of code, and all the elements you’ve seen of the desktop build released to Ubuntu are included of course as well. Developers will be glad to find a collection of 3rd party Enyo apps supported here on the packages System Manager as well as the ones you’d expect from the basic set of apps included on the mobile device build.

HP’s servers will be bursting at the seams with this lovely offering starting today – if you don’t see it, wait a bit longer. You’ll be grabbing such lovely bits as “build-desktop” and “core-apps” never before legally distributed to the public. Grab em all and report back to tell everyone how much awesome developing fun you’re having!

Also check the timeline below for more information on webOS as it’s made its path towards the open environment it’s about to be in now. HP is working with the community to keep webOS an operating system worth working with, and we’re excited to see it continue to expand. Also see our webOS tag portal and HP tag to keep up to date with both groups in the very near future too – exciting things are bubbling up!

This update to the third Humble Bundle also brings on news that they’ve reached over 80,000 purchases and grossed over $500,000 in sales in just one week – that’s major! For those of you that participated in the first ever Humble Bundle for Android, you’ll remember the following four games as having participated in that deal as well – they’re back! Have a peek at how Humble Bundle makes the case for each of these awesome apps:

Anomaly: Warzone Earth
Anomaly is an intense reversal of the tower defense formula, with players managing a convoy’s path through various war torn environments. Careful planning of powerups, unit composition, and more will make or break your journey. Anomaly: Warzone Earth has rocked gamers on Windows, Linux, OS X, and iOS, and is available once more to challenge the tactics of Linux and Android gamers in high-definition.

Osmos
In Osmos, you play an amoeba-esque creature (called a “mote”) in a world with a few basic rules: you absorb smaller things, and bigger things absorb you. The catch? The amoeba propels forward by shooting out bits of itself, so move with care! Different game modes introduce opposing AI motes, gravity, and other twists, and a chilled out soundtrack provides the perfect mood for floating your way to cellular domination.

EDGE
EDGE is a casual puzzle-platformer that challenges you to roll your cube through over 100 levels. The innovative level design and “edge hangtime” mechanic will test your planning and reflexes. Nothing can quite describe the satisfying noise of rolling your cube to victory and securing a speedy finish.

World of Goo
This critically acclaimed puzzler challenges you to build dramatic and innovative structures using goo balls. The somewhat sentient globs create rigid planks upon being placed in proximity to other goo balls, and with your help, they can escape! World of Goo is an indie classic, and the Android iteration gives the game a perfect new form factor for experiencing the magic of goo.

You can pick up your own Humble Bundle 3 at the Humble Bundle homepage and make sure you get the game Osmos no matter what. It’s so amazingly beautiful that we’ve simply got to suggest that you get it one way or another. And if and when you do make this Humble Bundle yours, make sure you press the switches for charity and the developers up high – make it count!

Setup

This beast is heavier than you’ll ever want to wish to carry at a back-breaking 21.32 kg (47 lbs). You’ve got a beast of a display up on two different hinges, this allowing you to adjust both the angle and the height at which the display sits. Once you’ve got it where you want it, you’ll probably want to leave it alone, though, as the weight of this conglomeration of metal, plastic, and glass is not the easiest thing to move around.

The monitor sits on its two hinges mightily, both of them making sure that this heaving beast does not move even the slightest bit once its set in place. In addition to being able to set this computer up with its “traditional display” setup (on the stand it comes attached to) you can mount it to the wall with industry standard VESA mounts. This unit utilizes a 100×100 VESA mount pattern, making it easy to set up with 3rd party display gear.

HP has done an amazing job of making sure this computer both looks and feels fabulous with a black and silver metal setup both on front and back. While most workstation-aimed computers are made to sit out of the way or under a desk, this all-in-one unit looks great from all sides. The one odd point that appears off as far as aesthetics go is the power cord port which sits under the display – it feels like HP went so far to keep the front and the back clean that they nudged that rather unsightly cord to the underside.

Connectivity

That said, the rest of the computer is indeed rather clean looking. You’ve got your power button up top on the right, a system activity LED below that right near the eject button for your optical drive. The optical drive is always a Slot Load 8X SuperMulti DVDRW no matter what configuration you pick up, and it sits right above a 4-in-1 Media Card Reader as well. Next on the right is a standard Firewire 1394a port above two USB 3.0 ports and ports for Audio in and out. Each of these buttons and ports are super easy to access.

What’s not so easy to access – and perhaps rightfully so – are the ports below the monitor. This collection of ports includes the power port (as mentioned above), one standard DisplayPort in/out, digital audio via a S/PDIF port, audio in/out and subwoofer out, and a set of four more USB 2.0 ports. There’s also a hidden USB 2.0 port under the hood which HP has used up with a dongle that connects with a couple of packaged accessories: keyboard and a mouse – both of which are relatively high quality.

Software

You can work on this system with Windows 7 or HP provided Linux, the Linux builds including drivers from 32 and 64-bit OS versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 Workstation, RHEL 6 Workstation, and 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) 11 for your convenience. For Windows 7 you’ll either get 32-bit or 64-bit Genuine Windows 7 Professional installed right out of the box.

With a computer that’s made to be updated in the hardware universe for years into the future, you’ll also want to be sure you’ve got the software to back it up as well. Windows 8 will of course be able to be loaded here, and with HP Performance Advisor included in the out-of-box experience, you’ll have HP’s own software wizard to help out out along the way as you continue to optimize your system towards its constant full potential.

This machine also includes HP Remote Graphics Software, (loaded standard with every new-age HP workstation,) an environment which allows you to access your setup remotely from other machines connected to the web with ease. Just as it was with each of the other HP workstations we’ve tested over the past year or so, this machine plays nicely with a vast array of machines outside its build – Directory Mode allow you to access workstations throughout your office, RGS functionality works with pixels (as opposed to data) to expand your workspace to a wide variety of 3rd party monitors automatically, and the whole RGS suite works on both Windows and Linux.

This device also comes with ISV certification so you know its up to snuff according to the Independent Software Vendor set of tests – standard stuff! Along those same lines is the fact that this machine is Energy Star certified with 90% efficient power supplies, and each HP Z1 comes with a warranty that includes limited 3-year parts, 3-year labor and 3-year onsite service extendable up to 5 years with HP Care Pack Services – business friendly indeed!

Above and below you’ll see some additional components listed as well as our standard Geekbench benchmark results. This machine does extremely well for itself, both in benchmarks and in practice with everyday light and heavyweight tasks like video processing. And again, you can switch essentially every piece out and make it more powerful as you deem necessary.

Versatility

This machine is fabulous in its ability to be modified. Push the display down horizontal and lift the face up like the hood of a car and poof! Like magic, you’ve got a vast array of plug-n-play pieces at your fingertips. You can change out essentially anything under the hood at your leisure, and several expansion slots and bays are available for your DIY modifications. You’ve got one internal 3.5-inch bay OR 2x 2.5-inch bays, one MXM expansion slot for graphics (requiring NVIDIA custom cards, you may want to note) the base model uses Intel integrated graphics, but Quadro 500M, 1000M, 3000M and 4000M graphics cards are optional. You’ve also got 3 miniPCIe full-length expansion slots as well.

Four zones separate this device’s insides, with the 400w power supply, Quadro graphics card, CPU, and memory sitting behind fans and panels. Your power supply, hard drive chassis, and DVD/Blu-ray drive are easily removable, of course, and up to four 8GB full-sized memory DIMMs can be added as well.

Everything under the hood is able to be clipped in and out with ease using the simple to understand green arrows and hard-plastic holds. The hands-on video earlier in this review shows how simple it is to switch components in and out. Business owners pay attention here: upgrading your whole office will be so easy that you won’t need to hire Nick Burns to do it – for real!

Wrap-Up

This computer is a fabulous choice for an office in need of massive displays and Windows 7 (or Windows 8 later this year). You’ve got a perfectly solid build, HP has made the entire structure out of high-end components, and you’ll be able to modify this beast to your liking well into the future. As long as you’re not planning on lifting this monster up and lugging it around on a regular basis, you’ll be glad this was your business-oriented Windows choice for your next-generation standard workstation situation.

Video editors, web designers, graphic designers, and those working with massive files on the whole will find this machine quite satisfying.

Have a peek below at additional HP Z-series hands-on, review, and news posts we’ve published over the past two years, all the way back to the official launch of the series at an event we attended with HP!

Currently the team is focused on getting the Steam client fully working on Ubuntu. Valve say that it’s important that the efforts are only focused on one Linux distribution for now to make sure the foundation of the software is solid. After that, more attention can be paid to other builds. Steam reportedly runs well under Ubuntu 12.04 with all the major features working, and Left 4 Dead 2 also runs natively in Linux.

Not much else has been revealed, but the team says the game runs well, and that they’re hoping to bring performance up to speed with the Windows version of the game. The team will be posting regular updates to the Valve blog, so mosey on over there and bookmark it to keep an eye to stay abreast of any developments.

Apparently, messages are only forwarded to a third contact when the Skype client crashes during a conversation. When that happens, the “last IM entered or sent prior to the crash” will then be sent off to that unintended third contact, which could result in a pretty dire situation if that most recent IM was about them. Hearing Skype describe it, the bug sounds like it isn’t necessarily unavoidable, but it also isn’t random, so at least there’s that.

In its updated statement, Skype also shared a list of which clients are impacted by this bug: Skype 5.9 and 5.10 for Windows, 5.8 for Mac, 4.0 for Linux, 4.0 for iOS, 2.8 for Android, and 1.2 for Windows Phone. If you’re using one of those clients, you’re instructed to download the latest client once you’re notified that an update is available, as that will likely include the fix you need to prevent this from happening again.

So, we’ve made a good bit of progress with this bug today. Not only does Skype say it’s working on a fix, but it also told us which specific clients are affected and what exactly needs to happen for the bug to rear its ugly head. Like we said this morning though, it’s still probably a good idea to choose your words carefully while we wait for this update, otherwise they might end up being seen by exactly the wrong person.

[via Skype]

One of the questions posed by someone in the audience was about Nvidia’s lack of compatibility with Linux. “I was expecting that maybe Nvidia would kind of chip in and do something for it, but they said flat out, ‘No. We’re not doing any support … What’s your comments on this?” she asked. Torvalds tried to be diplomatic at first, saying, “”I know exactly what you’re talking about … Nvidia has been one of the worst trouble spots we’ve had with hardware manufacturers.”

But then he just let loose, finishing his comments with this great sound byte: “Nvidia has been the single worst company we’ve ever dealth with. So Nvidia, f*** you.” Yeah, he actually said the f-word, and not only that, he also flipped the bird. Want to see this for yourself? You better believe it’s on YouTube. Check out the video below and go to 48:14 to see the entire exchange.

[via BSN]

Enter Project Magenta. It is an open-source project that aims to offer the same kind of experiences that iPhone and iPad users are able to have, but without the need to own an Apple device. “Magenta is an implementation of Darwin/BSD on top of the Linux kernel. It is made up of a number of kernel and userland components that work together. It is fully binary compatible with iPhone OS 5.0 (as in, it uses the same binary format),” the official Project Magenta website states.

The eventual goal of Project Magenta is to create the iPhone OS 1.0 stack. “I think this is a pretty feasible goal, considering the fact that there are so many open source libs that can be used to replace the proprietary libs used by Apple,” the project head writes. One limitation is that Project Magenta probably won’t be able to run apps that live on Apple’s App Store, but just replicating the iOS experience on generic hardware would be a great feat.

[via 9to5Mac]

Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal is scheduled to launch in October, but you can get in on the few new features that are ready to go right now by downloading the alpha 1 build today. It’s been less than two months since the last stable version was released so not a whole lot has changed, but there are some notable differences. For starters Linux Kernel 3.4 has been incorporated into 12.10 along with driver support for several new graphics cards.

The default web browser has been bumped up to Firefox 13, Thunderbird is included for email control, and the update manager should have what Ubuntu is calling “a slightly new look.” Last but not least the Ubuntu desktop image has been shrunk down to a single 800 MB image, easily usable on DVDs or USB flash drives. There’s probably much more in the newest alpha so hit the download link above and give the latest build a try today.

[via Liliputing]

The executive director at The Linus Foundation Jim Zemlin spoke this week about the announcement before it was made public saying how glad he was to be welcoming Samsung into the fold. Having been part of the Linux community for some Time, Samsung will be taking a larger role now in deciding its fate.

“By becoming a leader among its peers in Linux and open source software, Samsung Electronics is clearly raising the bar for innovation once again. The company’s commitment to Linux and investment in its development firmly plants it in a position to continue its achievements in the mobile, embedded and consumer electronics markets. This is a strategic business decision that will result in advancing Samsung Electronics’ success and accelerating Linux development work.” – Zemlin

The Platinum membership that Samsung now holds is the highest membership any group can hold, it including, again, a spot on the Board of Directors. Have a peek at this video to see in a very basic way how Linux works and what it means for you in your everyday technologically advanced life.

For round 5 of the bundle you get your chance at 5 awesome Indie games. You’ll automatically get the four exciting offerings once you donate, and if you pay more than the average you’ll also get the popular game Bastion. I’m excited to see LIMBO in here, because that game is awesome (and I want it on Android.) Here’s what you’ll get with this latest Humble Bundle:

Amnesia: The Dark Descent – First-person survival horror game
Psychonauts – Action platformer
LIMBO – The awesome puzzle-platformer
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP – Unique action-adventure game

Then if you pay (donate) more than the average at the time of purchase you’ll get the fifth game free, which is Bastion. Again remember that you can give as much of your purchase/donation to the developers, to the Humble Bumble creators, or to charity. You can split it three ways, or give it all to charity so you feel warm and fuzzy inside. This is a truly a great cause, and all the games are cross-platform. Meaning you can play on PC, MAC or Linux. Here’s more info:

You might already own a game or two from the deal, but it’s a great cause and LIMBO is worth a few dollars alone. @Humble just tweeted they’ve sold 10,000 in 23 minutes, so you’ll probably want to get in while the price is still low folks.

[via Humble Bundle]

News from DigiTimes has not only HTC and Samsung interested in running the software in the near future, but Acer and ASUS as well. The latter two companies are being tipped today as having plans for Tizen devices before the end of the third quarter of 2012. This would not be a complete surprise as both companies have been apt to release Android devices, for example, with the newest Google software release well before their opponents in the past – with some notable exceptions, of course.

Carriers are ramping up to see Tizen developed along with IT representatives, with Samsung and Intel starting up the Tizen Association with board members from around the community. Included in this set of members are NTT docomo, Orange, Vodafone, SK Telecom, NEC, Panasonic, Telefonica, and more. This operating system may well provide another challenger in the mobile space, it working closely with the Linux foundation to assure the world that they’ll provide the greatest software experience available to the best of their abilities.

Have a peek at the few items that’ve popped up in the Tizen world so far and let us know if you want to try it out soon!

That gives enterprise users flexibility for office productivity. They can use desktop applications remotely, use browser-based solutions such as Google Docs, or use the pre-installed LibreOffice which is compatible with Microsoft Office formats. Canonical believe Ubuntu makes a good choice for those faced with expensive Windows 7 upgrades.

There’s also a new menu-based search option, tweaks to the login screen, but most importantly improved performance and power management. Ubuntu has suffered from draining batteries far too quickly in the past, and Canonical says they’re working to fix that with the newer versions of the OS.

What about if you’re running Ubuntu 10.04? Canonical say there will be an easy migration to 12.04, and that the company is looking forward for users to experience the upgrade for themselves. If you’re eager to get downloading, head on over to the Ubuntu website where you should find a torrent waiting for you.

[via Engadget]

It was WordPress / Linux Consulting member Chad McCullough who raised the point at the end of launch day for Google Drive, the point being that Google Drive did not support Linux, one of the primary components behind such hits as Android – a Google staple. In his message he spoke on how he’d have to sit tight with DropBox, a system he doesn’t mind using but would rather drop in favor of Google’s flavor:

“I’m sure you’re being inundated with questions about your lack of support for Linux but I need to ask the same question. Why? Is it coming soon? I’d rather not have to stick with Dropbox but if you don’t support Linux, that’s exactly what MANY of us are going to have to do. Google, we love you but you need to show that love for Linux, too.” – McCullough

Though it’s been tipped to us that the release of this integration may come as soon as May, we’ve got our doubts. Remember just this past week that Google did away with Picasa for Linux altogether. On the other hand, that may have been done to make way for Google Drive – we’ll see soon!

Have a peek at our miniature review of the desktop version for Mac OS X and note how the environment Google is providing here in the first days of Google Drive’s arrival are so simple that they should be applicable to essentially any operating system. It’s just windows and folders, after all.

At present, Linux users can’t automatically synchronize their files with Google Drive as per their Mac and PC counterparts. Instead, they need to log in via the browser-based interface and access content there instead, still a workable option but less seamless than a native app.

No timescale for the Linux support has been given, though with Google being something of a cheerleader for open-source products – such as Android, the Chromium browser and Chromium OS – we’re guessing the goal is sooner rather than later. Android and iPhone are already supported with apps, and an iPad app is in the pipeline as well.

If you’re still trying to decide between Google Drive, Box, DropBox or other services, make sure to check out our full comparison of the best options out there.

[via OMG! Ubuntu!]

According to Phoronix, Valve has already hired at least one Linux OpenGL developer and is looking to hire more. What this means is the port of Steam is official and happening with the rumors come true. What we know at this point is that Steam, and the source engine will both run natively on Linux with no wine library or other workarounds for support.

The game Valve has been working on the hardest for Linux is Left 4 Dead 2. The game was apparently chosen because of its stable code-base for the initial port. Other titles will come to Linux in the future from Valve. The native source engine will also allow other game developers to port their games to Linux. Linux gamers should be thrilled right now.

[via Phoronix]

This set of futures solidifies what we expected to come from the NVIDIA camp for mobile processors as thus far NVIDIA has had no dual-core or more architecture with LTE capabilities. The name Icera should ring a bell for you, it being featured back in February of this year as NVIDIA’s new modem complete with voice-over-LTE. This innovation should have Tegra back in the good books for those now needing the speed of LTE throughout the USA.

NVIDIA showed several of these names, including Grey and Wayne, back in 2011 when they first showed their superhero roadmap for multi-core processors. Each of the names is taken from a superhero, Tegra 3 originally called Kal-El (aka Superman), while Grey is Jean Grey (aka the Phoenix) and Wayne is of course Bruce Wayne (Batman.) This roadmap lets us know that yes, indeed, NVIDIA does have great things continuing to fill their future in the mobile world.

Can’t wait to see what’s next!

[via Vincent Nguyen]